Learn how you to train for your next race with the periodization and progression.
There are a lot of ways to get faster – but one common thread of how you set up your training. In the video, you will see specific examples of how to set up an effective running program through periodization and progression.
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Full Transcript
So there are a lot of ways to set up your training program, but there is one principle that you must adhere to, to make sure that you don’t reach a plateau and that you continue to improve.
[00:00:15] And that principle it’s called periodization. And what periodization is basically is meaning setting up your training in different phases. There is your macrocycle, which is. The scope of the entire season or year for that matter there’s mezzo cycles, which will fit within the macro cycle that run for about four to six weeks where you can work on a specific skill or a specific adaptation that you’re trying to work on.
[00:00:40] And then there’s a microcycle that fit within the mezzo cycles that are basically like the week within that four to six week program where you’re setting up. The different workouts. So the first thing you need to do before you set up any type of program or any type of periodization is to have a season goal, have something that you want to train toward.
[00:00:58] So you can create the adaptation that will best suit you for race day. And then what periodization. It’s basically a changing of stimulus over time so that you can overload your system to improve while resting and recovering. So you can absorb that training. A big mistake that a lot of endurance athletes will do is to continuously try to add an overload and add an overload and just have one big, long pur, uh, progression or where they don’t switch the stimulus at all.
[00:01:24] And that will eventually lead to a plateau and it will stall your progress. So having these periods in which you are set up to train hard and then rest. Is crucial to help with the contingent with your continuous improvement. So after each Mezo cycle, which is those four to six week blocks, you’ll need to take a down week and a down week is usually just cutting the volume of your total a week by 30 to 40% even, and just really giving yourself time to adjust and to rest.
[00:01:55] And in this video, we’re going to take you through some progressions that are specifically for those mezzo cycles. So there’s basically two ways that you can set up your periodization. There’s linear, which is the most popular. And the linear is basically set in a straight line specifically for endurance.
[00:02:09] That is generally the way that most training plans will be set up. And that is. Adding to your previous week of work so that you continuously get better. So adding a little bit more, and that could be in a couple of different elements that you could add. With total volume for your linear progression, you can add intensity and your linear progression, or you could reduce your recovery.
[00:02:34] All these things will create a more of an overload for each workout so that you do continue to improve with each week. And then there is undulated progression, which is a little bit less used in the endurance community, but has shown to have phenomenal results in the strength and conditioning, a world with power lifting and hypertrophy and bodybuilding.
[00:02:54] So, uh, there is a place for undulated progression, which is basically kind of a wave of progression instead of a linear progression, which is just going to go in a straight line to harder and more intense. It’s just going to lead to the specific adaptation that you are hoping for. Angelina is going to take a little bit longer of time and it’s going to move up and down where you’re going to be doing high intensity one day and, or, and high volume another day in lower intensity.
[00:03:18] So they’re going to switch based on your preference of, of, of working out and how long of time you have to take to set up these progressions. So I’m going to take you through a couple of. Different looks at these progressions at what a linear progression is going to look like and what an undulated progression would look like.
[00:03:36] So here is your examples of what it looks like in practice, within training peaks and how that these workouts are going to look in a linear and an undulated. Uh, fashion. So, uh, in the scope of this video, we’re just going to go straight across like the week and have these be the different workouts that you would set up for your week.
[00:03:55] This is not one week of training. This is set up over the course of five weeks of training. So these are what these workouts are gonna look like. And again, these workouts are, are, are not built for anything specific and they are meant to create an adaptation for that person. response. And so what that looks like is just kind of setting up.
[00:04:16] So within any macro cycle, you can have a phase where you want to work on five K five, K speed, 10 K speed or half marathon speed, whatever it is you’re training for, you can have. A block within there that has helped training other parts of your, your overall endurance so that you continue to improve. And that you’re not just drilling at half marathon pace for 12 weeks when you have a half marathon coming up.
[00:04:40] Um, so in this case we have a 5k example, a marathon progression example, and a 10 K example, um, and these can fit anywhere within your. Macrocycle uh, as long as it gives you enough time to set up a, an exact race specific plan and specific speed and endurance for your event. So there’s two types of ways to set up your linear progression and that’s top down. Progression and periodization
[00:05:04] Or bottom up. Um, so the first one we’re going to look at is this first week is a top down for a five K. And basically what that means is starting at a higher level of volume and sharpening your way down into your, your speed work that will lead you into your five K and people who would use this more likely would be something on the slow Twitch muscle fiber, who has a really big background in endurance and has a lot of aerobic capacity.
[00:05:34] Um, where they would want to work at a higher volume and, and work their way down. And they’ll just going to respond a little bit better. So if that’s you, that means you would prefer running longer, running slower, doing events like marathons, or you just know that you don’t have that natural leg turnover.
[00:05:50] So this is the top down approach would be a great place for someone like you to start. And what this looks like in practice, it would be something like you would start the progression with threshold repeats three by two mile. With about two minutes rest. And then from there you move into four by mile at just under your threshold. Progression and periodization
[00:06:06] So thinking like 15 K pace and, uh, with, again, with that same amount of, this would be about a minute or minute 15 of rest. And then you would also introduce some speed into his speed intervals into this and doing two by thousand and 10 K pace. And then you can move in directly into 10 K pace, which again is just getting closer to the five K pace, which you are ultimately going to want to, which you’re ultimately training for.
[00:06:31] I’m looking like six by 1200. At 10 K pace and these are straight up VO, two max intervals almost at this point. So you’re going to want a lot of recovery here, giving yourself about three minutes rest and then some mixed intervals, again, to introduce some of that 5k speed. So four by 1200 to 10 K two by 805 K and then getting into these like race intervals, which would be five by thousand at five K pace. Progression and periodization
[00:06:53] Uh, whatever that goal pace would be or whatever you’ve worked yourself into. Throughout this progression from a bottom, from a bottom up standpoint, it’s going to be a bit of the opposite. So if you tend to prefer faster workouts or, you know, you have some good natural leg turnover, you’re going to want, you’ll probably want to work with this bottom up, but this is an a for a marathon progression. Progression and periodization
[00:07:14] So this could also be, if you are. Coming from lower volume overall. And you want to slowly build in to a progression to get you to that longer tempo run, which you’d want to be for over a long way. You’d want to be getting ready for the race. So this was this one’s straight forward with marathon pace. So it was just going to start with tempo runs.
[00:07:34] So it’s going to be starting with a five mile tempo work up to seven, nine, 11, and 13. So that’s basically all bottom up means is adding the volume into, and kind of slowing and like starting at a faster pace and then slowly adding in to your racist specific. So if this would look like a five K you would start with something like four hundreds at three K pace and trying to drive up into, again, those thousands at five K pace.
[00:08:02] And the last example I have here is an undulated 10 K progression. And this is going to take a little bit more time to reach your, your goal. And again, this hasn’t shown a, a lot of, uh, scientific evidence behind the. The efficacy of undulating progression when it comes to endurance, but there is a lot in terms of hypertrophy and, and, um, and strength training.
[00:08:27] So there is some, uh, evidence that this will work for adaptation for endurance, though, it’s gonna take a little bit longer and you’re going to want to make sure that you are setting up a longer term plan and just to give yourself time to work your way into that specific race pace. So you could start at something like a, uh, a six mile tempo at half marathon pace.
[00:08:52] And the next week you’re gonna move into intervals, which will be faster turnover at 5k pace 12 by 400 at five K pace with 400 recovery would be a good place. So these are kind of opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to your, your training. So one would be higher volume. One is gonna be higher intensity.
[00:09:08] So it’s gonna kind of go up and down based on the week to week, then you’ll move back up into threshold. Intervals, but not as high of a volume as the tempo run. And then you’re gonna move it back down into 800 at 10 K pace. So you can see that you’re kind of closing the gap here and these workouts are gonna start to similarly come together and then you’ll move into some more threshold repeats and then more race specific intervals, eight by thousand 10 K pace, and ultimately kind of blending the two together at three by two mile.
[00:09:38] 10 K pace. So that’s what an undulated progression is typically going to look like when it comes to endurance. And for the sake of your training, this would be, if you, again, if you like variety, if you’re not quite sure how you respond to each type of training, this will give you a good dose of both back and forth.
[00:09:56] So when you get a chance to learn more about yourself, You prefer longer tempo type runs, or if you prefer the speed type runs and it also is going to, um, if you have more time and you want to set up a longer type of progression in here on the unrelatable work pretty well. So this is what a basic periodization, uh, progression will look like for the endurance athlete.
[00:10:19] So I really suggest that you play around with this, but no matter what you do, make sure you are adding either volume or intensity or reducing. The the rest, no matter what you’re doing week to week, if you are sitting with the same type of workouts and you like the workout eight by 800, you must make sure that you’re changing something within that to create an overload, which will get that adaptation that you’re looking for.
[00:10:41] And after about four to six weeks, you need to change the workout. It doesn’t matter if you like sitting there. If you’re getting great results, you will reach a plateau. If you keep doing the same key workouts over and over and over, you can always come back to those after a second. Mezo cycle and reset your paces after you’ve become faster. Progression and periodization
[00:10:59] So for example, if you do that the top down 5k speed progression, and you’ve got tremendous results from it, you need to take some time down and you could work on something else using a, a bottom up threshold or a bottom up marathon type, whatever it is that you need to work on moving into next, you could always come back to that progression that worked for you so well in the previous weeks. Progression and periodization
[00:11:22] And you should have better fitness by then. So you can kind of reset the paces and create again, continue to create that overload, to get that adaptation. So find something that works for you and really play around with this because there are a lot of ways, almost unlimited ways for you to set up your progression within a period of eyes plan. Progression and periodization
[00:11:40] So really play around with that and see what works and what you like. Best. So if you liked this video, hit me with subscribing with the thumbs up. There’s a little bell there that will get you all the notifications when new videos do drop for us so that you can get all the newest and latest things on running and training.
[00:11:55] All right. I will talk to you then. Progression and periodization
